The present invention relates to a packaging system for one or more devices intended for medical use, the packaging system being arranged for transporting at least one of the devices in an essentially laid-down position.
Devices intended for medical use generally include one or more units, such as an imaging unit for imaging a subject and/or a viewing unit for viewing the resulting images and/or peripheral apparatus, such as computers. These units are generally heavy and tall and comprise a lot of costly electrical components.
In practice most of the devices intended for medical use are transported by air. For that purpose a packaging system of the type as described above is known. In the known packaging system the medical device is simply packed horizontally in a box supported by a plastic buffer.
By transporting the devices horizontally any damage that may be caused by falling over can be avoided. Furthermore, when transported horizontally, the height dimensions of the devices are advantageously smaller allowing them to pass the freight doors of smaller airplanes, such as a DC 10, instead of for example a Boeing 747. Smaller airplanes are able to land on smaller airports that generally lie closer to the customer""s location. Using the known packaging system a medical device can thus be transported in less time at lower cost.
However, a major drawback of the known packaging system is that the medical device packed therein should be lifted to its upright position during unpacking. Since these medical devices are generally heavy several workers are needed, or, in case only one person performs the unpacking, mechanical means are used, such as a tackle, for bringing the device to its upright position. It will be clear that the unpacking thus is rather time consuming and further involves logistical complications, which will raise the transportation costs involved.
It is an object of the invention to provide a packaging system for a medical device of the type as described above that solves this problem.
The packaging system according to the invention is thereto characterized in that the packaging system comprises a frame for supporting the at least one device in the laid-down position, said frame being provided with means for assisting in positioning the device towards an essentially upright position during unpacking thereof.
Providing the frame with means for positioning the medical device in an essentially upright position allows for it to be quickly and easily unpacked by just one person. Using the packaging system according to the invention a medical system can be transported at lower overall cost.
In a first preferred embodiment the assisting means comprise one or more pushing elements for at least partly pushing the frame towards an essentially upright position.
The pushing means assist the person who has to unpack the device, usually a field service engineer, in positioning the frame upright.
In a further preferred embodiment the assisting means comprise biasing means for biasing the pushing elements against the force of gravity acting on the frame. The field service engineer can simply release the biasing means to activate the pushing means.
In order to ensure the safety of the personnel the biasing means are arranged to block the pushing elements when the frame is free of load.
According to an economically preferred embodiment the assisting means comprise a spring construction that preferably comprises one or more springs and accompanying spring pressure pieces for biasing each spring. A spring construction in general, and this spring construction in particular, is not only technically reliable, but also relatively cheap. This is of great importance since the packaging system is used for transportations worldwide and is therefore intended for one time use only.
In yet a further economically preferred embodiment the biasing means comprise a spring pressure piece for each spring and an accompanying blocking element that is arranged for blocking the spring pressure piece when the frame is essentially empty and for releasing the spring pressure piece when the frame is loaded with the at least one device. This embodiment also uses technically reliable, but relatively cheap means and is thus very suitable for one time use only.
According to an elegant and practical embodiment the blocking element comprises a pin having a smaller part and a wider part wherein the spring pressure piece is provided with a recess having a width for cooperation with the wider part of the pin and having a smaller deepened portion for cooperation with the smaller part of the pin. Herein advantageously only a small number of mechanical parts is used to block the biasing means for safety purposes in a cheap and reliable fashion.
According to another preferred embodiment the frame comprises means for at least partly rolling the frame. For the personnel rolling is ergonomically preferred over lifting the device.
Preferably the frame is curved at at least one end thereof, in such a way that unpacking the system is only a matter of rolling the packed frame instead of lifting it.
The invention also refers to a frame as described as part of the packaging system according to the invention.
The invention further refers to a method of packing one or more devices intended for medical use using the packaging system according to the invention, said method comprising the steps of: Packing at least one of the devices in an essentially laid-down position on the frame; and preparing the assisting means to assist in unpacking on demand. The device is advantageously packed horizontally, thus saving freight space and allowing the use of smaller airplanes leading to an overall reduction of transportation costs. The measures involved in preparing the assisting means depend on the type of assisting means used. Generally the assisting means are brought into a xe2x80x9cready statexe2x80x9d from which they can be activated when necessary.
In a preferred embodiment the method of packing further comprises the steps of: Putting another device intended for medical use on top of the at least one device packed in the essentially laid-down position on the frame; and Placing the frame packed with the at least two devices in a box for transportation. Using this method of packing a medical system comprising two or more devices can be packed in one box. The use of just one box implicates using a minimum of freight space leading to a further reduction of transportation costs. This method is especially useful for packing a mobile C arm system, as will be explained in more detail below.
The invention also to a method of unpacking a packaging system packed with one or more devices intended for medical use according to the method of packing, aid method comprising the steps of: Activating the assisting means; and Unpacking the at least one device packed in the essentially laid-down position with the help of the assisting means towards its essentially upright position. The measures involved in activating the assisting means depend on the type of assisting means used. By using the method of unpacking according to the invention the actual weight of the device to be lifted can be advantageously reduced by such an amount that the unpacking might be performed by just one person according to current working regulations.
The invention is furthermore directed to a method of transporting one or more devices intended for medical use, said method comprising the steps of: Packing the one or more devices according to the method of packing; Transporting the packaging system; and Unpacking at least one of the packed devices according to the method of unpacking. The method of transporting combines the measures and corresponding advantages of both the method of packing and the method of unpacking according to the invention.